Crossword roundup: Super, man

Gerry Anderson, who invented supermarionation, not to be confused with Super Mario Nation: R.G. Balkham/Rex Features

Themes and tricks

Rorschach introduced the smart theme of his Independent puzzle at one down and eight across with FLYING START; peppered through the grid were locations you might start flying from – eponymous airports, including JOHN WAYNE, BOB HOPE, JOHN LENNON, ARNOLD PALMER and an apposite anagram …

3d/16d Go and getbeersto be served in place of 1 8 (6,4)

...for Belfast's GEORGEBEST.

Here at Crossword Blog, we don't mind the occasional dingbat-type clue, so long as they're used sparingly and with charm. So it was with Firefly's Toughie where all four perimeter clues described creatures reminiscent of Edward Lear, such as …

1ac TheNadderark? He‚Äôs a treacherous person (5,2,3,5)

… this SNAKEINTHEGRASS and the others were equally charming.

Culture clue

Tramp paid tribute to Gerry Anderson in the Guardian this week, with THUNDERBIRDS, STINGRAY, SCOTT PARKER and others taking cameos in the grid and clues. Tramp included the name given by Anderson to his animation technique, SUPERMARIONATION, without requiring the solver to have heard it before: he clued the first two thirds of the word with reference to the SUPER MARIO video game series.

Latter patter

(New Zealand, informal) a small store or dairy laid out along the lines of a supermarket

SUPERETTE comes to us via "supermarket", so it's a small version of a big version of something – in other words, the type of shop in question could be named using the word that's missing from the new formation, "market".

"Oxymoron" itself is a word with a ring of contradiction: a kind of modern classical term that has a Greek feel and form, even though Oxford notes that:

The Greek form ὀξύµωρον does not appear to be recorded in extant Greek sources.

Crosswords, of course, share with oxymorons the quality of putting words together to unexpected effect, and there's always a pleasure in the surprise of an oxymoron … except on invitations. Which brings us to this week's challenge: reader, how would you clue SMART CASUAL?

Cluing competition

JollySwagman referenced the series creeping into controversy of its own in "Hislop starts – Angus is fundamentally disadvantaged. After Merton's ultimatum Fry is gutted", as did benmoreassynt2 with "Long-running show – a mixture of funny gags from which Angus is removed after Hislop loses last four".

Mojoseeker boldly essayed a use of "allegedly" to suggest that "heavy goat 'n ewes: few" is a soundalike of the full title of the show and I enjoyed the surface of davidt999's "Nearly offensive bunch of fascists start to yell at TV show?".